The Art Of Setting Powerful, Attainable Goals by Christine Kingery

The Art of Setting Powerful, Attainable Goals

When I first set out to start this website, I wanted it to be about setting goals, meeting goals, and providing a community to help support each other in achieving those goals. While most people were interested in weight loss (as am I!) the goals could be for anything – improving one’s sex life, learning a foreign language, being a better mom, etc.

I was reminded of this today. I had forgotten that the simple guidelines for goal-setting can be applied to other areas of my life, not just weight-loss. I have found the following goals to be quite useful in helping me to achieve my weight loss goals; however, I forgot that the same strategies could be applied to a quest to find a new job.

A few months ago I found myself somewhat unexpectedly unemployed. Previously, I had a job that I loved as a Director of Marketing for an architecture/engineering firm. I loved the job; I loved the A/E/C industry. However, I hated the ridiculous political bullshit that went on daily in the office. I was miserable, and it was time for a change.

January 1st I started a new job. I’m not a technical writer and public relations specialist for a university-based research group. While I see the benefit in learning to be more detailed-oriented in my work and learning tips for enhancing my ability to provide PR services to an organization…I’m finding myself to be very unhappy. The pace of work is too slow for me; I’m bored. I don’t enjoy the topic of research the way I enjoyed the A/E/C industry. I don’t feel like my work here matters to the office, and I don’t see the direct correlation of how my work helps others improve the quality of life. To illustrate this point: today I wrote a grant proposal for future research to look into how light affects cancer growth in lab rats. If awarded, this work will lead to more study, which will lead to more study, which MAY someday lead to a change in the lighting industry. Maybe. Previously, I would write a proposal to design a new community park or a town library. When a project was finished I would go on site to see the final products and watch local people playing with their dog or reading a book to their children. I could see that my work had a direct impact on the health and well-being of others.

I need to find a new job, but first I need to figure out where I envision myself. Where do I want to work? What type of work do I want to do? How much money do I want to make? How much flexibility and leadership do I want to undertake? These are questions that I need to figure out the answers to.

To help me, I’m going to sit down right now to tackle the problem using the same goal-setting method I have used in the past. I’m outlining this process below, and I hope that it helps you to create goals that are attainable and successful!

Methodology

1. Set a specific goal.

The keyword here is “specific.” It’s easy to say “I want a new job” or “I want to lose weight,” but that doesn’t show you the path you need to take. The more specific you can be, the better. “I want a new job in the engineering industry providing marketing, PR, or technical writing assistance” would be more specific. For weight loss, quantify your goal. “I want to lose 100 pounds” or even “I want to have a BMI of 25” would be more accurate.

There’s a balance you need to make in being specific though. Being too specific will limit the amount of options available to you. To say “I want a job in My Town and at This Location” may not be achievable. Bring a balance to your goal.

2. Set a timeframe

You *MUST* set a timeframe. You absolutely must have an end-date to your goals. Ongoing goals will drain your motivation and get tedious. I’ve seen numerous friends fall into this pit by saying, “I want to lose weight” or “I want to get fit,” but with no end goal in sight. Without an end, there is no success, no accomplishment. You inevitably get stuck in feeling like a failure and become dejected.

That’s why it’s so important to set a timeframe. For me, I think it would be reasonable to say, “I want to find a new job in the engineering industry providing marketing, PR, or technical writing assistance by December 15, 2010.” This timeframe will allow me ample time to research companies, network, and even let the economy pick up a little bit.

For weight-loss purposes, having an event in mind is a great goal! For example, “I want to lose 25 pounds by my dress-fitting on June 20th prior to my wedding” would be a attainable, targeted goal.

3. Set Mini-Goals.

Now that you’ve worked out what your goal is, now set up mini-goals to help guide you along the way. Your mini-goals NEED to have timeframes attached to them, and they should be spaced out reasonably, either weekly or monthly. You need to think: What action-items can I do to help get me to my goal?

For my job-searching goal, I can think of a few mini-goals offhand. I will set these up below, along with timeframes.

May 17th: Create a list of all engineering-related companies in my area, along with HR contact information. Update resume. Search for any related jobs; send in resume. Sit down with my husband and consider alternative options and their feasibility, such as freelance writing, temp work, part-time work, etc.

June18th: Contact a headhunter to discuss ways that he or she might be able to help me. On my own, search for any related jobs; send in resume. Ask headhunter for which professional organizations may be able to help me in this field, such as a Chamber of Commerce, PRSA, SMPS, etc. Contact these organizations and put any upcoming networking events on my calendar.

July 19th: Follow up with the headhunter. Search for any related jobs and send in resume. Send out emails to all my networking contacts to let them know that I am looking for a job and to ask them if they know of any available openings.

August 16th: Follow up with the headhunter. Search for any related jobs and send in my resume. Send follow-up email to my contacts. Call HR managers at companies that I research in Part 1 to ask them if they have openings and see if they know of any positions elsewhere.

September 13th: Search for any related jobs and send in my resume. Send follow-up email to my contacts. Sit down with husband to discuss alternative options again.

November: Search for any related jobs and send in my resume. Send follow-up email to my contacts. Search for non-related jobs and pick out two or three to send a resume to.

December 15th: I should have a new job by then!

Let’s say that you have a weight loss goal. First, figure out how much weight that you need to lose every week. (I’ve found that the most successful weight loss goals require weekly weight loss between 0.5-2.0 pounds per week. Any more than that may be setting you up for failure.) Also, you need to account for the fact that some weeks you may lose a lot of weight and other weeks you may lose very little weight. This is evident if you ever watch The Biggest Loser. Consequently, it’s best to set your goal dates once per month or once every two weeks. Allow weigh-ins during that time. Until your weigh-in-date, put your scale away.

There are lots of action-items you can do as they relate to weight-loss. Some include:

* Meet with a nutritionist
* Research and evaluate your RMR, BMR, body fat %, weight, etc.
* Join a gym
* Hire a personal trainer
* Sign up for an exercise class
* Schedule time to clean out cupboards and pantries
* Shop for new food
* Research healthy recipes to try out
* Days to exercise, such as 4 times per week.
* Or, perhaps you want to reach a “calories burned” goal per week.
* Keep a daily food journal, and evaluate it (on your own or with a nutritionist) once per week

4. Set a budget

This is important to consider, regardless of what your goal is. Setting goals costs money. They just DO. Sit down and think about what all the costs will entail.

For my job-searching goal, I am going to consider budgeting for: a new suit for interviewing; getting my hair done (come on ladies, you know how expensive that is!), hiring a headhunter and/or career coach, time off from work (paid-time-off) to attend any meetings and interviews, attending any networking functions. I don’t know what the costs will be offhand to do all these things, but I will research them and have them set before I begin my challenge.

For weight-loss things you may want to consider are: new exercise clothes, new gym shoes, new and healthier food in your fridge, gym membership, personal trainer costs, nutritionist costs, recipe books, etc.

5. Communicate your goals with others

This is so important. Look, we’re not islands. We need to interact with people in our daily lives: spouses, parents, children, bosses, other soccer moms, whatever. You need to tell the people that are important in your life what your goals are. These people will help to hold you accountable and will help support you when you need the boost.

I remember when I first had my banding surgery, I told an acquaintance friend about it. I was trepidatious about telling her at first (It was embarrassing to talk about initially). Her response was, “really? Do you want to go bike riding with me after work?” Hell yeah! Similarly, when I told my co-workers at work, they offered to go walking with me during my lunch breaks.

Having the accountability is huge, and it’s really important that you verbalize that to your friends. “Sue, I am really wanting to lose weight before my wedding. Can you check in with me every week to make sure that I’m really going to the gym and eating well?” Most people are thrilled to be able to help you achieve your goals, so give them that opportunity. You’re going to be surprised at how many people will want to join you on your journey and how many people will offer to help you along the way.

For a long time, when I was a student, I lived alone and didn’t really have a lot of friends. That’s when I found websites with like-minded individuals. I have a forum here as part of this website that is filled with wonderful people just WAITING to encourage you and help you achieve your goals. The link is on the right-hand side of this page.

6. Accountability

You’re going to screw up, but you need to get back on track ASAP. When you fall, brush yourself off and start again. Don’t start tomorrow. Start *NOW*. Right now. Like, stop reading this article and start again NOW! You may miss a mini-goal deadline. You may miss a personal trainer session, binge on some chocolate on Saturday night, have too many drinks on Friday night. That’s okay. It’s not going to help you achieve your goals and you need to recognize that, but you also need to stop beating yourself up about it. Just get back on the bandwagon asap.

Part of this may involve re-assessing your long-term goal and mini-goals. Feel free to re-assess at key points along the way, but make sure that your goals are clearly articulated.

Be sure to post your goal, along with your mini-goal, someplace visible so you can see it on a daily basis. For me, this works well posted to my bathroom mirror, next to the toilet, on the inside of my closet. I also make sure I post the goals and dates in my outlook and on my iphone, along with reminders, so I am constantly aware of what my next goal-set is.

For accountability, feel free to ask your community support to hold you accountable. Ask them directly for the help; someone will be sure to be there for you.

7. Reward yourself!!

Not just at the end, but along the way, too. Every time you successfully hit a mini-target, allow yourself a reward. You have to acknowledge that setting goals and meeting those goals is hard work, whatever that goal might be. Rewards are a great motivator, as well!

For my own weight-loss journey, I have two major rewards coming up. When I hit the 75-pound-lost mark, I am going to invite ALL my friends out for ice cream!!! Oh, how I have been craving some ice cream! I want to celebrate with all my friends and thank them for their support over the last year. If I ever make it to the 100-pound-lost mark, I told my husband that I want to go to Las Vegas for the weekend. And…I’ve always wanted a belly-button ring, but I’ve always been too fat to get one. That’s my ultimate goal – Vegas and a belly button ring!

I’ll allow rewards for myself for the job-hunting goals too. My first ones will probably be for a new business suit and to get my hair done. I might reward myself with a day off work to be lazy, or perhaps with a nice dinner out.

I hope that this list helps you with your goals. Remember: Set clear goals, set timeframes and budgets, communicate your goals, hold yourself accountable, and reward yourself. If you do those things, you can achieve ANYTHING!

For more information about goal setting, dieting, fitness, eating disorders, or gastric banding surgery, visit www.phoenixrevolution.net.

About The Author

Christine Kingery recently had gastric banding surgery and has lost 75 pounds. Her blog, www.phoenixrevolution.net outlines the strategies she has formed in order to lose weight and keep the weight off.

The author invites you to visit:
http://www.phoenixrevolution.net